London, November 19: Britain on Monday announced the toughest overhaul of its asylum system in decades, extending waiting times for permanent settlement, accelerating deportations and redefining key human rights provisions as Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces rising public concern over migration and growing pressure from the populist Reform UK party.
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said refugee status would now be granted only on a temporary basis, with the minimum period before an individual can apply for permanent residency increasing to 20 years from the previous five. The government will also seek to fast-track removals of people who enter the country illegally.
Mahmood outlined plans to narrow the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in UK courts, giving the government greater authority in deciding who can remain in the country. The changes include limiting Article 8 — the right to family life — to immediate family members, and working with other countries to reassess the scope of Article 3, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment.
Starmer said the current asylum framework had become a “pull factor” for irregular migration and was no longer suited to global patterns of movement. “Public consent relies on a system that is fair, firm and enforceable,” he said.
Britain also warned it could impose visa bans on Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless they accept the return of migrants and foreign offenders.
Immigration has emerged as the top issue for British voters, with small-boat arrivals from France drawing intense political scrutiny. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has gained momentum in opinion polls by criticising what it calls years of government inaction.
Reform’s Zia Yusuf said voters were “tired of excuses” but questioned the government’s ability to deliver the reforms. Within Labour, MP Tony Vaughan cautioned that the overhaul risked fuelling divisiveness and racism.
Asylum applications in Britain rose 17% to 109,343 in the year to March. While lower than figures in major EU states, overall migration remains politically sensitive. Most arrivals come legally, and net migration peaked at a record 906,000 in 2023 before falling to 431,000 last year after tighter visa rules.
Mahmood warned that “dark forces” were exploiting weaknesses in the asylum system and said failure to overhaul the process could erode public support for offering refuge to those in need. Human rights groups condemned the plans, with Freedom from Torture saying the measures would “punish people who’ve already lost everything.”
